Determining objects present in real images and attributes of those objects is useful for many applications. For instance, determining a pose of an object in an image can be used to facilitate effective operation of various systems. Examples of such applications include augmented reality (AR), robotics, automotive and aviation, in addition to many other applications.
In AR environments, for example, a user may view an integration of artificial or virtual graphics with the user's natural surroundings. AR applications allow real images to be processed to add virtual objects to a captured image and to align the virtual objects to the image in multiple dimensions. Artificial virtual objects that do not exist in reality or computer-generated copies of actual objects or structures of the user's natural surroundings can be added to the AR environment. For example, a graphic of a butterfly may fly along the view of AR goggles while the user continues to view his or her natural surroundings, regardless of whether the butterfly has any relevance to anything the user is seeing naturally. In another example, an actual object sitting on a table may be identified and rendered with a different color or different physical attributes in the AR environment.
Determining objects that are present in real images and determining the location and orientation of these objects facilitates effective operation of AR systems and may be used to aid virtual object placement.